We've Got To Talk

Why do people say that Gen X was the very last generation to have a real childhood? In this episode, we take a look at what it was like growing up Gen X and what it really means to belong to the smallest age grouping in modern history. We examine how our unique position between the analog and digital eras completely shaped our worldview, creating a cohort of people who are uniquely resilient and p...

Why does celebrating the 4th of July suddenly feel like a political statement? In this episode, Jolene and Nicole tackle the upcoming 250th birthday of the United States to explore a question dividing the country: can you be liberal and patriotic? We look back at our shared childhood memories of the 200th Bicentennial parade, contrasting that early innocence with the deep anxieties and partisan di...

Why are modern political movements suddenly reviving ideas that the world discredited decades ago? In this episode, we sit down with New York Times columnist and constitutional lawyer David French to discuss the deep psychological and cultural shifts breaking our societal guardrails. David shares his unique journey from growing up in the conservative South to serving as an JAG officer in the Army...

Why does it feel like modern politics has shifted from simple disagreements to an all-out war for team loyalty? In this episode, we sit down with Stephen Hawkins, the director of research for More in Common, an international organization tracking the deep psychology, values, and hidden tribes behind our fractured global landscape. Stephen breaks down his journey from an evangelical College Republi...

Tipping culture in the USA is out of control right now. In this episode, we dig into the history of tipping in America, why it became normal for customers to subsidize wages, and how the USA minimum wage rules for tipped workers still shape what you pay every time you eat out. We talk about the tipped minimum wage, the “tip credit”, and why the $2.13 an hour figure still comes up when people searc...

In this episode, we tackle the shocking details behind Donald Trump’s latest legal maneuver. Nicole and Jolene break down why Trump suddenly dropped his massive $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and immediately replaced it with the "$1.776 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund." We take a look past the patriotic branding to reveal why this massive proposal has absolutely no legal safeguards. We break...

What happens when you try to tell the truth in a world that only wants team loyalty? In this episode, we talk with Isaac Saul, founder of Tangle, the independent, non-partisan politics newsletter that summarises the best arguments from the left and the right. Isaac wrote a “plea for help” email after conservatives accused Tangle of bashing Trump while liberals accused it of sanewashing Trump, ofte...

Fourteen Wisconsinites from opposite sides of the abortion debate sat down together for a three-day Builders Movement Citizen Solutions session on abortion and family wellbeing. This wasn’t a panel or a debate for show. It was a practical, structured process with trained facilitators and a clear framework, designed to help people hear each other properly and figure out what could actually change i...

In a world that rewards outrage, it can feel safer to avoid politics, religion, and money altogether. But the silence doesn’t fix anything, it just pushes the tension into Facebook fights, family dinners, and comment sections where people forget there’s a real human on the other side. In this conversation with Stacy Blakeley, Executive Director of the Builders Movement, we talk about how “us vs th...

Politics has started to feel like a loyalty test, not a conversation. Say one thing that is not perfectly on script for your “side” and people act like you have betrayed the whole team. The problem is not that we disagree. The problem is that we have built a culture where curiosity looks weak, changing your mind feels dangerous, and being loud gets rewarded. A lot of the nastiness is being fuelled...

Sanctuary cities are one of those topics that instantly makes people get their haunches up ready to “defend their side.” It’s either a lawless open border or a necessary humanitarian shield. But the truth is far more nuanced (and historical) than a political soundbite. Nicole (liberal) and Jolene (conservative) look past the headlines to figure out what "sanctuary" actually means in practice and h...

AI is one of those topics that makes people speak in absolutes: it’s either going to save us or destroy us. But the truth is simpler (and scarier): AI is already everywhere. It’s in your phone, your inbox, your car… it’s everywhere. In this episode, Nicole (liberal) and Jolene (conservative) talk about what happens when artificial intelligence stops being a future headline and starts becoming a da...

In this episode, we dig into the “Beyond MAGA” report from More in Common and why it matters heading into the November midterms. If you spend any time online, you would think Trump voters are one giant, identical block of people. Angry, extreme, predictable. But that is not what the data shows. This report breaks the Trump coalition into more nuanced groups like MAGA Hardliners, Anti-Woke Conserva...

We’re taking on one of the hardest questions in public life right now: where is the line between free speech, hate speech, and political extremism? What started as a reaction to protest footage from Washington Square Park turned into a much bigger conversation about modern activism, public outrage, and the way protest movements can shift from justice and grief into something more tribal, performat...

Two big stories have been sitting with us. Australia moving to ban social media for kids under 16, and U.S. schools rolling out “bell to bell” phone bans. Australia’s move is bold, and we don’t think anyone believes it will be perfect. Enforcement will be messy, there will be loopholes, and kids will try to get around it. But we still respect the statement it makes. It forces the conversation into...

The Epstein files are not just a scandal or a “true crime” story. They are a mirror held up to power, privilege, and the way exploitation can hide in plain sight when the right people are involved. We take a look at why this story is bigger than Jeffrey Epstein as an individual. The most disturbing part is not only what he did, but how long he operated, how many doors opened for him, and how an en...

Trump’s SAVE Act is being sold as a straightforward push for election integrity, but in this episode, we take a look at why it is not nearly that simple. On the surface, secure elections sound like an easy thing to support. But once you get into the details, the conversation becomes much more complicated. Is this really about protecting the vote, or is it about raising suspicion and adding new bar...

Iran is one of the most loaded topics on the planet right now, and in this episode, Nicole (liberal) and Jolene (conservative) try to talk about it without pretending it’s simple. We recorded on Thursday, March 5th, fully aware that modern conflict moves fast and anything we say could age in a week. So this isn’t a “perfect take.” It’s us slowing the conversation down and naming what we know, what...

Politics lately feels less like governing and more like bad behavior. In this episode, we ask a simple question: where did basic political decorum go, and why does it feel like the whole country is running on outrage and adrenaline? We talk about congressional hearings that feel more like theatre than truth-seeking, including the Pam Bondi exchange during the Epstein hearings. Tough questions are...

We’re sitting down with Brad Porteus, the creator of Bridge Grades, to talk about the one thing American politics is starving for right now: real collaboration. If you are exhausted by tribal “pick a side” thinking, this conversation is a breath of fresh air, because it is not about who is right. It is about who can actually work with people they disagree with. Brad explains what Bridge Grades is...

We just watched “The Last Republican,” Steve Pink’s new documentary about Adam Kinzinger - the Illinois Congressman who broke ranks with his party after the January 6th hearings, and let’s just say, it sparked a conversation. Actually, several. We’re Nicole (liberal) and Jolene (conservative), friends for nearly 40 years and living proof that you can tackle politics, religion, and money without en...

We’re sharing our take on Ezra Klein’s interview with Yuval Levin and the question it raises about Trump’s presidency: has he achieved as much as it feels like he has, or are we confusing constant motion with durable progress? We talk about why this administration can feel like nonstop action, even when much of that action is not coming through Congress. A big idea from the Ezra Klein Show convers...

Some weeks, the news doesn’t just feel heavy, it feels combustible. In this episode, Nicole (liberal) and Jolene (conservative) talk through the latest ICE shooting in Minneapolis and why stories like this instantly become a loyalty test: pick your team, pick your narrative, pick your villain… and move on. We slow the conversation down on purpose. We talk about what we know, what we don’t know yet...

Some headlines don’t feel real and yet here we are. In this episode, we unpack Trump floating the idea of America buying Greenland (yes, Greenland) and why a story that sounds like satire is actually tied to serious geopolitics, Arctic security, and America’s relationship with allies like Denmark. We take a look at why Greenland matters: its strategic location between North America and Europe, gro...

Surrogacy can be a deeply meaningful path to parenthood and it can also be a billion-dollar industry. In this episode, we unpack what happens when “building a family” starts looking like a marketplace, and who actually gets protected when money, contracts, and power enter something as serious as pregnancy and birth. We talk about why the U.S. has become a major global destination for surrogacy, an...